On a weekend morning, I felt a little better after hugging Kalia tightly.
There’s nothing quite as stabilizing for the mind and body as holding someone close.
However, I did get scolded a bit.
“Do you think I’m some kind of hugging machine? This isn’t like when you were a puppy and dozens of you swarmed me… You didn’t do this to anyone else, right?”
“I didn’t! Really! I swear!”
“Ugh… Don’t ever do this to anyone else! Got it? If they’re non-awakened, someone could get crushed or throw out their back.”
What Kalia said wasn’t wrong, but she was describing my affectionate gestures as if they were a disaster.
That’s too much. Shouldn’t someone be happy and generously accept it when cute girls like us come rushing toward them?
-But it was warm…-
It felt different from when we hugged each other and slept on the bed.
Honestly, it was much better.
Maybe it was because of the height difference.
The girls I knew were all about the same height as me or taller.
I hadn’t seen anyone smaller than me.
-We’re only 150 cm tall. Not particularly tall even for girls, so it can’t be helped.-
-Didn’t it smell a bit sharp during the hug? Like cigarettes?-
-Kalia doesn’t smoke. It’s the smell of gunpowder.-
I hadn’t seen anything unusual last night. Had there been a hunt or some trouble in the area during the night?
The security of the Academy City was managed by the clans, so places like the city center or near schools were very safe. However, the outskirts they ignored weren’t as secure.
In such areas, people preferred to arm themselves with personal defense weapons and form vigilante groups rather than waiting for the police, who might never show up—or might make things worse if the criminal was awakened.
The most effective way to deal with an awakened criminal was to confront them with another awakened individual since ether protection wrapped around their skin could only be penetrated by magic.
I’d heard that ordinary citizens in this world sometimes hired awakened individuals as problem-solvers.
While non-awakened people could fight awakened ones by preparing with automatic rifles or explosives, it caused significant collateral damage, so hiring an awakened was relatively less destructive.
Though it cost a lot of money and required some discretion, everything in life has its pros and cons.
-The streets were quiet when we drank last night. There shouldn’t have been any trouble.-
-Right. This neighborhood is patrolled by the Brotherhood, so it’s safe.-
The Brotherhood included Kalia and other awakened members, so there was no need to rely on others.
-So, what’s your plan now?-
No. 2, who had been silent, finally spoke.
-Plan for what?-
-Let’s think calmly. Our situation, where we’ve forgotten our names, hasn’t changed. School and everything else are still piled up. What’s your next move? Should we quit?-
-I don’t want to… but…-
No. 1, who seemed to have regained some energy, stretched and stood up.
-For now, we have to survive in this strange world.-
-Exactly.-
-Let’s help Irene for a bit first, and then think about the rest later.-
The shock from yesterday hadn’t disappeared entirely.
The fact that our memories weren’t intact was an undeniable reality.
We couldn’t avoid or ignore it.
Still, with immediate reality staring us in the face, we had to push it aside, even if forcibly.
-Let’s take it easy for a while and avoid tough jobs.-
-Yeah…-
***
No. 27 lay on her dormitory bed, pulled the blanket over her head, and closed her eyes again.
Listening to the voices of the Violets in her mind, the slight excitement she had felt subsided.
She still didn’t have the will to do anything.
Lying down, she stretched her legs and counted the beams on the ceiling. Suddenly, someone called her from under the bed.
“Rugilinn, are you asleep?”
Peeking down from the ladder, I saw Daphne getting ready to go out.
“No? I’m not asleep. Why did you call me?”
“The weather’s nice. Want to go to the city outside the academy with me?”
“Uh… wait a second…”
I was about to decline out of laziness but suddenly recalled yesterday.
The memory of snapping at innocent Daphne stung my conscience.
It felt right to go along with whatever Daphne wanted here.
“There’s a café nearby that serves delicious parfait. I’ll treat you.”
“Alright, I’ll go…”
After throwing on some casual clothes and grabbing my wallet, I noticed Daphne giving me a strange look.
“Rugilinn?”
“What?”
“It’s an outing. Why don’t you wear something other than your tracksuit?”
“It’s comfortable! Besides, all my other clothes are similar to this.”
“Don’t you have anything else?”
I shook my head firmly.
When I stayed at Kalia’s place, I had bought clothes, but my stubborn preference for convenience meant I didn’t have a single skirt besides my school uniform.
Kalia wasn’t the type to fuss over fashion, so she hadn’t cared either.
When I opened the wardrobe to show her, Daphne’s blue eyes widened in disbelief.
“This is all? Everything is the same color…”
“Huh? Is there a hole in the clothes?”
At my reply, Daphne sighed deeply.
“That’s not the problem. I’m glad I spoke up. Come on, let’s go clothes shopping first!”
Wow, this was the first time my gentle roommate had shown such a bold side.
I couldn’t even resist and was helplessly dragged outside the academy.
Save me!
When we arrived in the city, the first place we visited was a small clothing store.
“I already have clothes! I’m fine, really!”
“Tracksuits and hiking clothes don’t count as clothes. No wonder you only wear your uniform… Sigh. Excuse me, are you the staff here? Could you help me, please?”
“Yes, of course, ma’am~”
And so, I spent almost an hour trying on various outfits, practically like a dress-up doll.
“So annoying…”
“Look in the mirror. How is it?”
“Huh…? Surprisingly, not bad.”
In the mirror stood a girl wearing a simple flared skirt and blouse, with a cardigan draped over it.
The clothes felt unfamiliar, but the reflection looked unexpectedly decent.
It was the first time I had worn such clothing since I had been possessed.
After buying a few outfits, we left the store, and Daphne, who seemed satisfied, suddenly asked me a question.
“Do you have any makeup? Or none?”
“I do! Lotion!”
“What about other things?”
“…Camouflage cream?”
“As I thought, you don’t.”
“Wait a second! Didn’t you say you’d buy me crepes? And parfaits!”
“I’ll buy those for you afterward. Now, let’s go!”
This time, I was dragged into a cosmetics store.
Wait a second, let me go!
Apart from skin lotion, I don’t know a thing about makeup.
Everything here is completely unfamiliar!
I came out to eat desserts but somehow ended up getting a crash course in using women’s cosmetics. It was ridiculous.
“This is used like this. And that is applied here.”
“Like this?”
“Ms. Rugilinn! That’s men’s skin lotion. Not that—come here. You weren’t paying attention to me, were you?”
“…Ehehe…”
At first, I thought of buying anything randomly and leaving, but my clumsy attempts at handling makeup products and tools must have been obvious.
Daphne gently but persistently asked me about this and that, and I had to admit I knew nothing about women’s cosmetics.
Her shocked reaction was quite striking.
Was this how fantasy novel protagonists felt when they encountered primitive people who didn’t know how to grill meat?
Once the explanation ended, Daphne gave me a quick makeover as a demonstration.
“There, all done… Wow.”
Looking in the mirror, I understood why she let out that short exclamation.
“…Is this me?”
It was astounding.
It was undoubtedly me, yet someone else stood there.
If the previous Violet had been a 100-point beauty, the current Violet was a 1,000-point beauty!
Is this the power of makeup?
“Honestly, I’m a bit surprised. You’ve never done makeup before, and this was your first time picking clothes… Ms. Rugilinn, your past makes me curious… Ah, I’m not teasing. It’s just that I’ve never seen someone like you among girls your age.”
“Well, I’m curious too…”
This sudden experience made my head spin a bit. It was all too overwhelming.
After everything was over, I mindlessly devoured the parfait Daphne bought me at a café.
“…How did you feel today?”
“My feelings? It was fine.”
We left the café and walked through the city.
Daphne handed me a waffle.
Actually, more than fine, it had been chaotic and overwhelming, so I wasn’t sure how I felt.
But it hadn’t been bad. The parfait was delicious, after all. And this waffle is good too.
“Then I’m glad.”
“Glad about what?”
“Do you know what your expression was like all week, Ms. Rugilinn? You looked incredibly worn out. So, I thought you might feel better with some fresh air. You weren’t uncomfortable, were you?”
“No, it was nice. The parfait was delicious!”
“Then that’s a relief. Really.”
I think I heard her sigh, but maybe it was my imagination.
Soon enough, the outing, which was both long and short, was coming to an end.
The academy gates were visible in the distance.
This morning’s thoughts briefly crossed my mind. What would it feel like to hug Daphne?
“Can I hug you?”
I casually approached her and spread my arms.
She looked puzzled but responded to me.
I gently buried my face against Daphne’s soft chest.
It was cozy.
So soft.
Her body smelled faintly of lavender.
It wasn’t a bad day.
Thanks to her, I felt a bit more energized.
Although my situation hadn’t changed, I felt ready to focus on what needed to be done.